A construction of vehicle doors by way of panel parts, in particular an inner panel and an outer panel, wherein the panel parts are releasably or unreleasably fastened to a supporting structure, has been known for many years.
German Patent Publication No. DE 102 55 985 A1 discloses a device for connecting the outer panel to the supporting structure of a vehicle door with a support element unreleasably connected to the outer panel and releasably connected to the supporting structure. The support element is connected via a screw connection to the supporting structure of the vehicle door.
In such conventional fastening methods, the panel parts are connected to the supporting structure via a plurality of fixed fastening points, in particular screw connections. This is a drawback as the thermal expansion of the panel parts may be different from the thermal expansion of the supporting structure.
Generally, injection-moulded parts are used as panel parts, as said injection-moulded parts permit good deformability of the panel parts. This technology is cost-intensive, however, primarily for smaller quantities.
The production of components by way of thermoforming generally permits easier production, in particular with smaller quantities, but the options during the forming process are more limited so that, for example, it is not possible to create undercuts of the formed components.